San Diego Reader

Nathan East: Bass guitar

Genre: Blues & Soul, Jazz, Rock

RIYL: Fattburger

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• Blurt: "R.I.P., M.J." · July 15, 2009

Synoposis

Influences: Bert Turetzky, Jaco Pastorious, Cecil Lytle

Background:

In 1969, bassist Nathan East formed the local funk band Power, along with future Fattburger-meister Hollis Gentry, Carl Evans, Jr., and Skipper Ragsdale. The band toured with Barry White, Nancy Wilson, Al Jarreau, Joe Sample, David Benoit, and Larry Carlton, among others.

After earning his degree in music in the late 1970s at UC San Diego (where he studied with Cecil Lytle and Bert Turetzky), the Crawford High School graduate later went on to play with Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Stevie Wonder, Michael Bublé, Quincy Jones, Kenny Loggins, Rod Stewart, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Michael Jackson, B.B. King, Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Joe Satriani, and many others. He also co-wrote the 1984 Phil Collins and Phillip Bailey hit “Easy Lover.”

In 1991, he co-founded the group Fourplay with Bob James (keys), Harvey Mason (drums, and guitarist Lee Ritenour (later replaced by Chuck Loeb).

In early 2011, he toured with Elvis Presley’s old backing group, the TCB Band. That summer, he toured as Toto’s bassist for a month long European tour, beginning June 21 in Belgium. He has remained with Toto, due to their retired bassist Mike Porcaro's battle with motor neurone disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Lou Gehrig's disease, which forced him off the road in 2007 and put him in a wheelchair.